Fruit processing method



Dec. 28, 1965 T. B. KEESLING FRUIT PROCESSING METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 13. 1957 Dec. 28, 1965 T. B. KEESLING 3,225,892

FRUIT PROCES S ING METHOD Original Filed May 13, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 yl F 62 9g e J22 den for 272 oznafifi Zfeepfzig ogfiorzzqg Dec. 28, 1965 'r. B. KEESLING FRUIT PROCESSING METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed May 13, 1957 m 1 5 llziiiiii IIIIIIIII/ Dec. 28, 1965 -r. B. KEESLING 3,225,892

FRUIT PROCESSING METHOD Original Filed May 13, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 jzzdezz for 772021242; ,B 26665 Zz 229 Dec. 28, 1965 FRUIT Original Filed May 13, 1957 T. B. KEESLING PROCESSING METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 In den Z02 0Q fiarmey United States Patent 3,225,892 FRUIT PROCESSING METHOD Thomas B. Keesling, Los Gatos, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to FMC Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Original application May 13, 1957, Ser. No. 658,346, now Patent No. 3,016,076, dated Jan. 9, 1962. Divided and this application Oct. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 148,789

7 Claims. (Cl. 19833) This application is a division of the copending Keesling application Serial No. 658,846, filed May 13, 1957, now Patent No. 3,016,076.

This invention relates to fruit preparation methods and more particularly to methods of orienting fruit such as apples, having indents at opposite ends of the stem-blossom axis.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a method for orienting fruits and vegetables having two indents therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method for locating an indent in indented fruits and vegetables.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved fruit and vegetable orienting method in which an indent therein may be located and placed in a predetermined position.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for orienting fruits and vegetables having two indents therein including locating one of the indents and there-after locating the second indent and aligning the two indents in a predetermined position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an orienting method for aligning the stern-blossom axes of fruits and vegetables having two indents therein with the indents placed in predetermined positions and without injury to the fruit.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings wherein like reference numerals have been used to designate like parts throughout:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view with certain parts broken away illustrating the aligning apparatus by which the method of the present invention is performed;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the upper indent aligner illustrated in FIGURE 1, substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in horizontal section through the mechanism in FIGURE 2 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the lower indent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a schematic view illustrating the operation of the upper indent finder and aligner;

FIGURE 6 is a view in horizontal section through the lower indent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 66 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view in vertical section through the aligning apparatus substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 77 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view in vertical section through the aligning cup substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a further enlarged view in vertical section through the upper indent finder and aligner;

3,225,892 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 "ice FIGURE 10 is a further enlarged horizontal section through a portion of the mounting structure for the upper indent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 1010 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view in elevation of the end of the upper indent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 11-11 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the lower corer substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 12-12 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 13 consists of a series of schematic views illustrating successive steps in operation of the aligning machine for performing the method of the present invention;

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the lower indent finder and aligner, the view being similar to FIGURE 4, and illustrating the aligning of a large apple;

FIGURE 15 is a partial end view with certain parts broken away illustrating the drive and control mechanism for the upper indent finder;

FIGURE 16 is a perspective view with certain portions broken away illustrating particularly the drive mechanism for the machine; and

FIGURE 17 is an end elevation-a1 view of the right hand end of the machine as viewed in FIGURE 16.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FY"- URES l and 16 thereof there is shown a machine incorporating the principles of the present invention for aligning fruits and vegetables such as apples and the like having two indents therein. The aligning machine is generally designated by the numeral 20 and includes a first or lower indent finder and aligner generally designated by the numeral 22 and an upper indent finder and aligner and coring tube assembly generally designated by the numeral 24. There also is provided a lower coring assembly generally designated by the numeral 26. These three subassemblies are mounted upon a frame best illustrated in FIGURE 16 of the drawings. The frame includes a pair of lower transverse frame members 28 connected by a pair of longitudinal frame members 30. Extending upwardly from the intersections of frame members 28 and 30 are end frame members 32 and 34. The upper ends of end members 32 and 34 are in turn interconnected by a pair of longitudinal upper frame members 36 and a pair of transverse frame members 38.

Preferably a plurality of aligning units is provided on machine 20 so that a number of apples such as 7 apples or 10 apples may be simultaneously aligned. Although machine 20 includes a plurality of aligning and associated units, only one set 'will be described in detail and like reference numerals will be applied to duplicate elements.

A feed chute 40 (FIG. 1) is provided to convey an apple to each of the aligning units 22. Suitable mechanism (not shown) is provided to insure that only one piece of fruit is fed to each aligning unit 22 at a time.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1, 4 and 6 to 8 of the drawings, the construction and operation of aligning unit 22 will be described in detail. A receptacle or cup 42 is provided to receive from chute 40 the fruit to be aligned such as an apple 14. Apple 44 of FIGURE 4 is illustrated as a relatively small apple as contrasted with the large apple illustrated in FIGURE 14 of the drawings. Apple 44, has two separate and distinct indents. One indent of apple 44 is the stem indent or cavity 46 which surrounds the point from which the stem 48 projects and includes a generally concavely curved indent surface 50. Although indent surface 50 may be irregularly shaped in most apples and like fruit, there is a well defined surface which, by means of the present machine,

can be distinguished from the generally globular surface 52 of the apple. Apple 44 has a second indent or cavity 54 (FIG. 4) surrounding the remaining fragments of the blossom at the blossom end of the fruit. Blossom indent 54 is also provided with an indent surface 56 generally concavely curved which may be irregular in shape yet can be differentiated from the surface 52.

Cup 42 is provided with an inner frusto-conical surface 58 to receive and support apple 44 during the location and alignment of one of the indents thereof. Surface 58 preferably has the sides thereof inclined at an angle of 45 with respect to the horizontal end, therefore the opposite sides of cup 58 form an included angle of 90. The most common sizes of apples to be processed by machine 20 are apples having maximum diameters lying between 2% inches and 4% inches. In aligning fruits in this size range, cup 42 is shaped in such a way that the maximum diameter of surface 58 is 4 /2 inches and the minimum or lower diameter is 2 /8 inches.

Formed integrally with cup 42 is an enlargement 60 to which is secured a stem or rod 62 by means of a bolt 64. Stem 62 has been illustrated as being rectangular in cross section and is received within a complementarily shaped bearing sleeve 66 supported in an encircling extension 68 which is part of a bracket generally designated by the numeral 70. The main portion of bracket 70 is generally cylindrical in shape and is designated by the numeral 72. A pair of web portions 74 interconnect extension 68 and the cylindrical portion 72.

A first indent finder is provided to be used in cooperation with cup 42 to find one indent of the apple 44. More specifically an aligner disc generally designated by the numeral 76 has been provided which when suitably rotated and shifted is capable of locating one of the indents of apple 44. Disc 76 is circular in shape as viewed in FIGURE 7 and when processing apples having diameters lying in the range of 2% inches to 4% inches preferably has a diameter of 1 /2 inches. The thickness of disc 76 is A; inch and the outer edge 78 which contacts the apple 44 is preferably rounded to form an are having a radius of 7 inch. A hub 80 is provided at the center of disc 76 to provide means for supporting disc 76 upon a shaft 82, a pin 83 securing disc 76 to shaft 82. The axis of shaft 82 is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the sides of disc 76 with the center of rotation of shaft 82 lying in the center of disc 76. Shaft 82 (FIGS. 4 and 14) is rotatably supported in a hollow shaft 84 formed in two sections which are in turn received in a cylindrical opening 86 provided in a gear cover generally designated by the numeral 88. Gear cover 88 includes a downturned flange 90 which is supported by and forms a bearing contact with a ring 92 having an endless series of bevel gear teeth 94 formed on the upper surface thereof and arranged in a circular form. Ring 92 is in turn mounted upon the vertically adjustable bracket 70 and more specifically upon the cylindrical portion 72 thereof by three bolts 96. By the above described construction it will be seen that aligner disc 76 is suitably mounted upon bracket 7 0.

In order to locate the indent of a fruit 44, disc 76 is rotated about a horizontal axis extending through the center thereof and the entire disc, while rotating about a horizontal axis, is also rotated about a vertical axis lying in a plane bisecting disc 76, as viewed in FIGURE 4. Rotation of disc 76 about its horizontal axis is obtained by rotating shaft 82. For this latter purpose, a miter pinion gear 28 is fixedly attached to one end of shaft 82 and has meshing engagement with the series of teeth 94 provided on ring 92.

Means to rotate aligner disc 76 about a vertical axis is provided in the form of a sleeve 1% on which are mounted the hollow shaft 84 and gear cover 88. The upper end of sleeve 100 is provided with a flange 192 which overlies and rides upon a portion of ring 92. The gear cover 88 is fixedly secured to flange 102 by means of a plurality of cap screws 101, see particularly FIGURES 6 and 8 of the drawings. A suitable cylindrical bearing 104 is provided adjacent the lower end of sleeve 106 to form a bearing contact with cylindrical portion 72 of bracket 70 through which sleeve extends. Rotation of sleeve 100 is provided by means of a sprocket 106, attached to the lower end of sleeve 100 as by pins 108. The sprocket 106 is provided with a plurality of teeth 110 which interengage with and are driven by the drive chain 112.

Rotation of sleeve 100 carries or rotates shaft 82 in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis and, at the same time, drives gear 98 around gear 94. This serves to rotate shaft 82 about a horizontal axis whereby also to rotate disc 76 about a horizontal axis and also serves to rotate disc 76 bodily about a vertical axis.

During the finding of the first indent to be found in fruit 44 by means of aligner disc 76, cup 42 is held in an upper position as shown in FIGURE 4. More specifically the lower end of stem 62 rests upon a stop in the form of a cam 114 which is eccentrically mounted upon a shaft 116. By means of the eccentric cam 114, the position of cup 42 above and with respect to disc 76 can be adjusted. A spring 118 under compression is mounted between the lower end of the bracket portion 68 and a cup 120 mounted upon stem 62 by means of a disc 122 held in position thereon by a pin 124. Spring 118 serves continually to urge stem 62 against the adjacent surface of cam 114.

Cam 114 is adjusted to the position shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings for relatively small fruit. More specifically cup 42 is adjusted to the highest position relative to disc 76 when the fruit has a maximum diameter of approximately 2% inches. When aligning larger fruit such as illustrated in FIGURE 14 of the drawings, cam 114 is adjusted with the low side uppermost contacting stem 62. This places cup 42 in its lowermost position relative to disc 76, this position being illustrated in FIG- URE 14 of the drawings. With the parts adjusted in this position, apples, having a maximum diameter as great as 4% inches, can be oriented and aligned. Cam 114 is adjusted to intermediate positions when aligning fruit having diameters lying intermediate those illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 14 of the drawings. More dependable aligning is obtained when cam 114 is properly adjusted in accordance with the size of fruit being handled.

During certain portions of the operation upon apple 44, the bracket 70 is raised vertically and for a portion of its travel moves relatively to cup 42 because of the action of spring 118 urging stem 62 against cam 114. This relative movement continues until a plurality of abutments 126 provided on gear cover 88 come into contact with a shoulder 128 formed on the under surface of cup 42. With the parts in this position as illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings, further upward travel of bracket 70 serves to carry cup 42 therewith.

As has been explained above a plurality of aligning units 22 is provided on machine 20. Each aligning unit is suitably secured to a cup beam 130 by a plurality of bolts 132 (-see FIGURES 1 and 16). Beam 130 is mounted for vertical movement whereby to cause vertical movement of bracket 70 and the associated parts including aligner disc 76 and cup 42.

After one of the indents in fruit 44 has been located by disc 76, the fruit 44 stops rotation and rests with the found indent positioned above the outer periphery 78 of disc 76 on shields (to be described hereafter) positioned on either side of disc 76 and with a portion of the outer surface 52 of the apple lying against the inclined surface 58 of cup 42. The positions of the various parts at this stage of the operation are schematically illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 13(a). It is now desirable to locate the second indent of fruit 44 and align the axis interconnecting the two indents in a substantially vertical position. To this end a second indent finder is provided above cup 42. The second indent finder forms a part of the aligner assembly generally designated by the numeral 24, the construction and operation of which is best illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 9 to 12 of the drawings. Referring first to FIGURE 1 of the drawings it will be seen that two spindle beams 134 and 136 have been provided, beams 134 and 136 extending substantially parallel to each other and to beam 130 and are disposed in a substantially horizontal position above beam 130. The outermost ends of beams 134 and 136 are connected by plates 138 (only one shown, FIG. 1) which are provided with rollers 148 carried by a pair of track members 142. Track members 142 are disposed substantially horizontally and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of beams 134 and 136 whereby to permit horizontal movement of beams 134 and 136 and the associated parts mounted thereon.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that there is provided a substantially I-shaped bracket 144 which is suitably secured to beams 134 and 136 as by bolts 146 and extends vertically there'between. A first boss 148 is provided on the upper edge of bracket 144 on the side thereof opposite the point of attachment to beam 134. Boss 148 is provided with a bearing sleeve 150 which receives therethrough a tubular shaft 152 which serves to drive the second finder member or wiggler tube as will be described more fully hereinafter. A lubrication fitting 154 is provided so that proper lubrication can be supplied for the upper bearing end of shaft 152.

The upper end of shaft 152 extends above boss 14-8 and has mounted thereon a sprocket 156 held in position by a pin 1S8. Sprocket 156 engages a drive chain 160 which is held in proper relationship therewith by means of a shoe 161 mounted on the adjacent edge of beam 134. The return reach of chain 169 travels in a track 162, mounted on a bracket 164 which is secured in turn to a second bracket 166, also mounted upon beam 134.

There is provided in the sides of tube 152 a pair of diametrically opposite and longitudinally extending slots 168. Extending upwardly into the lower end of tube 152 is a Wiggler or aligner shaft 178 which is drivingly interconnected with shaft 152 by means of a pin 172 which extends through an aperture in the upper end of shaft 170 and through the slots 168 (see FIGURE 9 also). A collar 174 surrounds shaft 152 and receives therein the ends of pin 172 whereby positively to interconnect collar 174- and the wiggler shaft 170.

The lower end of wiggler shaft 170 has a portion 176 of reduced diameter which carries on the lower end thereof an aligner or wiggler sleeve 17 S, slidably mounted thereon. The upper end of sleeve 17 8 is spaced below a shoulder 179 formed at the junction of the upper portion of shaft 170 and reduced portion 176. This permits relative axial movement between sleeve 178 and shaft 179. Driving interconnection between shaft portion 176 and sleeve 178 is provided by a pin 180 extending through a transverse aperture in portion 176 with the ends of the pin disposed in a pair of vertically extending and diametrically opposed slots 182 formed in sleeve 178. A second pin 184 serves to interconnect and mount a wiggler or aligner core 186 upon aligner sleeve 178. Extending upwardly from core 186 is a rod 138 which extends into a recess formed in the lower end of shaft portion 176 and is surrounded by a spring 190 which is held under compression between the shaft portion 176 and core 186. Spring 1911 serves to urge core 186 downwardly away from the adjacent end of shaft portion 176 and thereby urge the sleeve 178 away from the shoulder 179.

Provided within the lower end of sleeve 178 is an axially slidable center rod 192. A Wiggler tip or finger 194, mounted in the center rod 192 to project there'below, is disposed parallel with the axis of shaft 176 but is positioned eccentrically with respect thereto. A plug 196 through which the tip 194 projects, is fixed in the end of the sleeve 178 and holds rod 192 and the associated tip 194 in operative position against downward displacement from the sleeve 178. Tip 194 is free to slide vertically upwardly with respect to plug 196 whereby to move the rounded end 198 thereof upwardly to lie within plug 196. This movement of tip 194 is permitted by the sliding mounting of rod 192 but is opposed by a spring 200 surrounding a small shaft 262 extending downwardly from core 186, spring 266 being under compression between the core 186 and the rod 192. Shaft 1711, rod 192, tip 194 and plug 196 are preferably formed of aluminum to reduce the weight thereof. By the above described construction a relatively light upward pressure exerted on the end 198 of tip 194 will serve to move tip 194 upwardly into aligner sleeve 178. Continued upward pressure upon plug 196 will move sleeve 178 upwardly against the action of spring 199.

Rotation of sprocket 156 (see FIGURE 2) serves to rotate shaft 152 which in turn drives the aligner shaft 171) through pin 172. Rotation of shaft in turn, through pin 188, drives aligner sleeve 178 which, because of the plug 196, drives tip 194. Because of the eccentric mounting of tip 194 with respect to plug 196, the rounded end 198 of tip 194 moves in a circular path or orbit about the axis of the shaft 170.

Vertical movement of the upper indent aligner including sleeve 1'78 and parts mounted thereon can be obtained by moving the collar 174 in a vertical direction whereby to move pin 172 along the slots 168. Referring specifically to FIGURE 3 of the drawings it will be seen that a hollow shaft 204 is rotatably mounted upon bracket 166. A lever 206, adjustably mounted on the shaft 204 is provided with a clamp 208 having a bolt 210 to secure the lever in adjusted position on the shaft. The outer end of lever 206 is provided with a pair of spaced apart arms 212 which carry, on inwardly disposed faces thereof, short pins 214 which engage beneath a shoulder 216 formed on the collar 174 (see FIGURE 9 also). Movement (by mechanism to be described hereinafter) of lever 2116 in a vertical direction serves to move collar 174 and the attached parts from the position shown in full lines in FIGURES 2 and 9 upward-1y toward a position such as that shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 2.

During certain portions of the fruit processing operation it is desirable forcefully to move or drive shaft 170 downwardly, from the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, substantially to that shown in full lines therein. To this end a second hollow shaft 217 is mounted in bracket 166 and has mounted thereon a lever 218.

One end of lever 218 is provided with a clamp 219 having a bolt 221 whereby to permit adjustment of the position of lever 218 upon shaft 217. The outer end of lever 218 carries a pair of spaced apart arms 220 (only one arm being shown, FIG. 2) which carry on inwardly disposed faces thereof pins 222. Pins 222 are positioned to engage an upper shoulder 224 provided on collar 174. Rotation of shaft 217 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2 serves to move lever 218 downwardly whereby to drive shaft 170 and associated parts downwardly toward the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2.

It is to be noted that the connections of levers 2116 and 218 with collar 174 permit shaft 152 and all the associated parts thereof including collar 174 to be rotated while collar 174 and the associated parts are moved in a vertical direction.

After both indents of apple 44 have been found and the axis interconnecting the two indents has been aligned in a vertical direction between disc 76 and the aligner tip 194, it is desired to remove the core from the apple. The first portion of the coring operation is accomplished by means of a coring cutter generally designated by the numeral 226 (see particularly FIGURE 9 of the drawings). The lower edge of cutter 226 is provided with a cutting edge 228 defined by an outer cylindrical surface 230 which meets with an inner frusto-conical surface 232. The cutter 226 is formed integrally with a coring tube 234 which extends upwardly therefrom and surrounds a portion of sleeve 178 and a portion of the shaft 170. The upper end of the coring tube 234 also extends upwardly into a recess formed in the lower end of the tubular shaft 152 and is drivingly connected therewith. The lower end of shaft 152 is provided with a first upper pair of aligned apertures 236 and 238. A second pair of aligned apertures is provided below the first pair as at 240 and 242. A pair of apertures 244 and 246 is provided in coring tube 234 in general alignment with apertures 238 and 240, respectively. A tool can be inserted through aligned apertures 238 and 244 to deform a portion of the coring tube 234 as at 248 into aperture 236 whereby to provide a connection between coring tube 234 and tubular shaft 152. A similar projection 250 can be likewise formed extending into aperture 242. Projections 248 and 250 thereby provide positive driving connection between the tubular shaft 152 and the coring tube 234.

In order to insure indent position retention during continued rotation of the aligner wheel or disc 76 and orbiting of the tip 194 and subsequently to prevent rotation of the apple 44 during the coring cut, a pair of part-circular shields 252 and 254 is provided about aligner disc 76 (see particularly FIGURES 4, 6 and 7). More specifically the shields 252 and 254 are mounted upon the hollow shaft sections 84 and are formed integrally therewith. The circumferential extent of shields 252 and 254 is slightly more than 180 as may be best seen in FIGURE 7 of the drawings to insure that the apple rests thereon. A plurality of ridges 256, 257 and 258 (FIG. is provided about the circumference of shields 252 and 254, respectively, to increase the effectiveness of the contact between apple 44 and shields 252 and 254. In a preferred construction for aligning apples in the size range set forth above the largest and outermost ridge 256 has a diameter of 1 inches, the second ridge 257 has a diameter of 1% inches and the third ridge 258 a diameter of 1 inches. The width of each ridge is 2 inch.

There is also provided about the coring tube 234 an outer tube 260 which extends upwardly to a point spaced slightly below the lowermost end of shaft 152. The lower end of tube 260 extends to a point spaced slightly above a shoulder formed on the coring cutter 226. Mounted on outer tube 260 are three fins 262 (FIG. which are disposed substantially tangentially thereto and equally spaced therearound. The lower edge of each fin 262 extends obliquely as at 264, to provide an edge directed downwardly and inwardly toward the outer tube 261 Edge 264 is sufficiently thin and sharp to enter the flesh of the fruit when pressed thereagainst.

Disposition of the fins 262 tangentially with respect to outer tube 260 eliminates splitting of brittle fruit during the handling thereof. Rotation of tube 260 during subsequent operations on the fruit is in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 10. Fins 262 are rotated while entering the fruit. Any resistance to rotation of the fruit in combination with the rotating force applied by fins 262 tends to compress the fruit at the outer ends of fins 262. This disposition of fins 262 therefore assures that there will be no tendency for the blades to split the fruit meat.

When the fins 262 are inserted into a fruit such as apple 44, they can serve as a transfer and driving member therefor. To this end, the upper end of outer shaft 260 (FIG. 9) is provided with a drive member 266 fixedly attached thereto and in turn fixedly attached to a drive sprocket 268. Sprocket 268 includes a hub 270 extending upwardly about the lower end of shaft 152 and spaced therebetween is a bearing sleeve 272. Hub 270 also is received within a lower boss 274 on bracket 144 and a bearing sleeve 276 is provided therebetween. A sealing member 278 is provided above bearing sleeve 276 and is held in position by a retainer ring 280. Referring specifically to FIGURE 2 of the drawings it will be seen that sprocket 268 engages and is driven by a chain 282 which is held in position thereagainst by a shoe 284 mounted on beam 136. The return reach of chain 282 travels in a track 286 supported by a bracket 288 mounted by means of bolts 29%) on beam 136. Movement of chain 282 serves to drive sprocket 268 which in turn drives the outer tube 266' and the attached fins 262.

During the coring operation, the wiggler or aligner tip 194 is forced into the sleeve 178 and the sleeve 178 is forced upwardly into tube 234 by contact with the upwardly moving apple. Cup beam is raised upwardly whereby to raise the fruit 44 and force the coring cutter 226 into the fruit 44 while the fruit is held from turning with respect to bracket 70 and cup 42 by means of the shields 252 and 254. During the upward coring movement of fruit 44, the fins 262 enter the apple whereby to provide a transfer mechanism for later movement of the fruit.

When the coring stroke of cutter 226 has been completed, bracket 70 and cup 42 are lowered and the beams 134 and 136 are moved laterally whereby to carry the coring tube assembly 24 including the outer tube 260 with apple 44 impaled thereon in a substantially horizontal direction. The apple 44 is, thus, moved until it is positioned above the lower coring tube (see FIGURE 1). Aplurality of lower coring members 366 is provided, a coring member 306 being provided for each of the aligner units 22. Coring members 306 are mounted for vertical adjustment upon a coring tube clamp bar 318. More specifically bar 318 is provided with a plurality of slotted apertures therein to receive the lower ends of coring members 3-96. A screw 321 is provided to tighten and adjustably grip coring member 386 in an adjusted position with respect to clamp bar 318. Each coring member 306 includes a tube 307 (FIG. 12) which extends through aligned apertures in flanges 311) of a beam 308 and is provided with a cutting head generally designated by the numeral 369. Cutting head 309 is firmly secured to the upper end of tube 367 and includes an outwardly extending shoulder 311. The upper end of cutting head 309 is provided with a cutting edge 312 having an inwardly bevelled surface 313. A core deflector 314, mounted in tube 307 by means of a pin 315, is provided with a curved surface 316 which serves to direct cores outwardly through an aperture 317 in tube 307 and an open side 319 of the cutter head 309.

When processing of the fruit has been completed, it is removed from the outer tube 260 and the fins 262 at which time the beams 134-136 are moved back to a po sition above cup 42.

The drive for the various parts is derived from a motor 320 mounted on the frame of machine 20 (see FIGURE 16 of the drawings). The output shaft of motor 320 is provided with two pulleys 322 and 324, provided with drive belts 326 and 328, respectively. Drive belt 326 in turn drives a pulley 330 mounted on the shaft 332 of a gear reducer 334. The output of gear reducer 334 is fed to a cam box 336 which contains suitable timing and actuating cams to drive the various drive shafts.

One of these shafts is a cup beam shaft 338 which extends from the cam box 336 to both ends of machine 20. It is to be understood that the actuating mechanism, driven by shaft 338 is duplicated at each end of the machine but only one set of driving linkages will be described in detail. Fixedly mounted on the end of shaft 338 (FIGS. 16 and 17) is a lever 34%) which is pivotally connected to an upwardly extending link 342. The upper end of link 342 is pivotally connected to cup beam 130. Cup beam 131) is mounted on Vertically disposed tracks 344 for vertical reciprocating movement therealong. At the proper time, as determined by operating cams in cam box 336, shaft 338 is turned in a counterclockwise direction (FIGS. 16 and 17) whereby to move links 342 and the attached cup beam 130 vertically upwardly at a predetermined rate and through a predetermined distance. At a predetermined later time cup beam 130 is lowered by a clockwise movement of shaft 338.

Another drive shaft is a spindle carriage shaft 346 which also extends from the cam box 336 to both ends of the machine. Affixed to each end of shaft 346 is a lever 348 which extends upwardly therefrom and is connected by a pair of links 350 to plate 133 which together with beams 134 and 136 forms the aligner and coring assembly spindle carriage. As has been explained before (see FIGURE 1, also) a plurality of rollers 140 mounted on plates 138 mount the spindle carriage for movement in a horizontal direction upon tracks 142. Clockwise movement of shaft 346 causes the spindle carriage and associated parts to move to the rear away from the vertical plane of cup beam 130 as viewed in FIGURE 16. counterclockwise movement of shaft 346 (FIGS. 16 and 17) conversely causes movement of the spindle carriage toward cup beam 130 so that in the position illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 16 of the drawings, the aligning and coring assembly 24 is positioned above the associated aligning cup 42. Suitably shaped earns in box 336 cause rotation of shaft 346 in the proper direction at the proper rate and at a predetermined time.

Still another drive shaft extending from the cam box 336 serves to move the coring tube clamp bar 318 vertically to effect a part of the coring. More specifically each end of clamp bar 318 is attached to a lever 352 (see FIGURE 1). Levers 352 in turn are fixedly mounted on a shaft 353 (see FIGURE 17). Another lever 354 is fixedly mounted on shaft 353 and is connected by a link 355 to a lever 356. Lever 356 is fixedly mounted on a pivot shaft 357 which also carries a cam 358. Cam 358 is actuated by a roller attached to a lever 359, the roller riding in a slot 361 in cam 358. Lever 359 is driven from the cam box 336 in proper timed relationship with the operation of other parts of the machine.

The motor 320, by means of belt 328, drives a pulley 360 mounted on the driving shaft 362 of an angle gear reducer 364. The output shaft of reducer 364 has mounted thereon a first sprocket wheel 366 which engages and drives a chain 368 which in turn drives the driven member of an aligning clutch 370. When clutch 370 is engaged, it serves to rotate the output shaft 372 thereof which is connected to a sprocket 374 by means of a spline connection generally designated by the numeral 376. Sprocket 374 is mounted upon and adapted to move with cup beam 130. The sprocket 374 drives chain 112 described above (see also FIGURES 4 and 6 of the drawings) which engages and drives the sprockets 106 which cause rotation and revolving of the aligning discs 76. It can be seen from FIGURE 16 that chain 112 is threaded about the various sprockets 106 whereby to contact opposite sides of adjacent sprockets. A pair of idler sprockets 378 (one only being shown) is provided to guide chain 112 into a track 380 (FIG. 4) provided for the return reach thereof. Track 380 is mounted by means of a plurality of brackets 382, each bracket being secured by a bolt 384 to one of the brackets 70 (see particularly FIGURES 4 and 6 of the drawings).

The spline connection 376 permits lowering and raising of the cup beam 130 and the drive sprocket 374 While preserving driving connection with the shaft 372. Although shaft 372 is not driven during movement of cup beam 130, this arrangement insures that proper connection is made when it is desired to drive the aligning discs 76.

The shaft 336 of angle reducer 364 has a second sprocket 386, drivingly engaging a chain 388. Chain 388 in turn engages a sprocket 390 which drives the driven member of a clutch 392 controlling rotation of the outer tube 260 and the associated fins 262 (see FIGURE 9 of the drawings,

also). When clutch 392 is engaged the output therefrom appears on a shaft 394 which is connected by a universal joint 396 to a second universal joint 398 by means of a spline connection generally designated by the numeral 400. Universal joint 398 is in turn connected to a shaft 402 which drives a sprocket 484 mounted upon the spindle carriage and particularly beam 136 thereof. The universal joints 396 and 398 together with the spline connection 400 provide a driving connection for sprocket 404 although the spindle carriage, including beam 136, is moved horizontally during operation. Chain 282, described above (see FIGURES 1 and 2, also), is driven by sprocket 404 and chain 282 in turn drives the sprockets 268, fixedly attached to the tubular shafts 260 to drive the associated fins 262.

Sprocket 390 also serves to drive a sprocket 486 which in turn drives a chain 408. Chain 488 engages and drives a sprocket 410 providing a driving input for an upper aligning and coring clutch 412. The output of clutch 412 appears on the shaft 414 which has a universal joint 416. A spline connector generally designated by the numeral 418 in turn drives a shaft 420- through a second universal joint 422. Mounted on and driven by shaft 420 is a sprocket 424 which drives chain described above (see FIGURES 1 and 2, also). Chain 160 in turn drives the sprocket 156 (FIG. 2) and through tube 152 serves to rotate shaft and the attached wiggler tip 194 to effect finding of the upper indent and movement thereof into vertical alignment with the lower indent. The universal joints 416 and 422 together with the spline connection 418 maintain the driving connection between clutch 412 and chain 160 although the spindle carriage reciprocates in a horizontal direction as has been explained above during the coring operation.

The apparatus for driving and controlling the motions of shafts 204 and 217 (see FIGURES 1, 2, 15 and 17) will be described. Shaft 204 has fixedly mounted on one end thereof a lever 426. Shaft 217 has a similar lever 428 also attached on one end thereof. The outer ends of levers 426 and 428 are provided with rollers 430 and 432, respectively (see FIGURE 15).

Lifting of the upper indent aligner when the carriage is in the forward or aligning position as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings and by the solid line parts in FIGURE 15 of the drawings is controlled by shaft 204 and will be described first with special reference to FIGURE 15 of the drawings. The roller 430 on lever 426 normally rides upon and has the position thereof controlled by contact with a pivotal cam 434. More specifically cam 434 is pivoted on the machine frame about a shaft 436 and is movable from a lowermost position illustrated by solid lines in FIGURE 15 to an uppermost position illustrated by dashed lines in FIGURE 15. Movement of cam 434 causes rotation of shaft 204 whereby to raise the upper indent aligner. When cam 434 is in the lowermost position as viewed in FIGURE 15, the aligner i in the lowermost position. When cam 434 is in the dashed position or uppermost position, the aligner is in the lifted or retracted position.

The position of cam 434 is controlled by a link 438 which carries a roller 440 engaged in a U-shaped slot 441 formed in the end of cam 434. The lower end of link 438 is attached to a lever 442 mounted on a shaft 444. Shaft 444 is one of the outputs from cam box 336 and is rotated in proper timed relationship to the other mechanisms of the machine by the mechanism within the cam box 336.

Rotation of lever 442 in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 17) raises link 438 and moves cam 434 into engagement with roller 430. Continued upward movement of link 438 rotates lever 426 and the attached shaft 204 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 15 to raise the aligner assembly.

It is desirable to hold the aligner assembly in the raised position when the carriage is moved to the rear or coring position. To this end a stationary cam 446 is provided having a first or lower support surface 448 and a second or higher support surface 459. Roller 430 on lever 426 passes from the upper surface of cam 434 onto cam surface 448 as the carriage is moved from the forward toward the rear position.

Lowering of shaft 170 and the associated aligning part is controlled by rotation of shaft 217 which is in turn controlled by movement of lever 428. The position of lever 428, when the carriage is in the forward or aligning position, is controlled by a lever 452 pivoted to the frame about shaft 454. More specifically roller 432 on lever 428 contacts the lower side of lever 452. When the parts are in the position illustrated in solid lines in FIGURE 15, the shaft 170 is in its lowered posi tion. Shaft 179 and associated parts including the levers 428 and 452 can be raised to the positions indicated by dashed lines.

Downward movement of lever 452 is also controlled by link 438. More specifically lever 452 carries a roller 456 which is engaged in an elongated closed slot 453 in the upper end of link 433. I The positioning of lever 428, when the carriage is in the rear or non-aligning position, is controlled by a staitonary cam 460. Cam 462 has a first cam surface 462 and a second relatively higher cam surface 464. As the carriage moves rearwardly, roller 432 leaves the lower cam position of lever 452 and passes on to cam surface 442 and then on to lever surface 464. Cam 452 is normally spring urged toward the upper or dashed position as viewed in FIGURE 15.

Clutches 370, 392 and 412 are controlled through suitable mechanisms (not shown) by cams in the cam box 336.

A detailed description of the indent finding, aligning and coring operations will now be given. At the beginning of the processing of a fruit such as apple 44, cup beam 130 is being lowered and is approaching the lowermost position as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 4, 7 and l3(a) by moving shaft 338 (FIGS. 16 and 17) to its farthest clockwise position. This causes cup 42 to be raised with respect to disc 76 to the position shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing by engagement of stem 62 against the cam 114. Cam 114 was previously adjusted in order that the cup will be so spaced with respect to the disc 76 as to accommodate fruit of the size to be processed.

An apple 44 is fed down chute 40 as the cup beam 1 130 approaches its lowermost position. The aligning disc 76 is rotating about vertical and horizontal axes as apple 44 enters cup 42. In most instances neither indent of the apple 44 falls upon the aligner disc 76. After apple 44 contacts the rotating outer surface 78 of disc '76, the frictional contact between surface 78 and the globular surface 52 of apple 44 imparts a force to apple 44 tending to cause rotation thereof. The component of movement of surface 78 caused by rotation of disc 76 about a horizontal axis applies a force to apple 44 tending to rotate apple 44 about a horizontal axis passing therethrough and in general alignment with a line parallel to the axis of rotation of disc 76. The movement of disc 76 about a vertical axis caused by the turning of shaft 82 about a vertical axis passing through substantially the center thereof also imparts through surface 78 to apple 44 a force tending to rotate apple 44 about a vertical axis. Because of irregularities in the surface of apple 44 and, in addition, because of the selected shape of the wall 58 of cup 42, apple 44 tends to be rolled around upon disc 76. The inclined wall 58 of cup 42 continually maintain apple 44 in contact with the moving surface 7% of disc 76.

Because of the continual shifting of disc 76 about a vertical axis, the force applied thereby to apple 44 is being continually applied in a different direction. In general, apple 44 is continually rotating about a horizontal axis but the horizontal axis of rotation is also continually being changed because of the rotation of aligner 76 about a vertical axis. By this series of constantly changing impacts applied to apple 44, a large number of points of the surface 52 including the indents 46 and 54 are presented to the surface 78 of aligner disc 76. It is believed that the continual turning of the axis of rotation of disc 76 about a vertical axis together with the inclined wall 58 of cup 42 assures that a maximum surface area of apple 44 is presented to aligner disc 76 or is scanned during any given time interval.

When one of the indents, either the stem indent or the blossom indent, of apple 44 is positioned toward disc 76, the shields 252 and 254 entering the indent prevent the surface 78 of disc 76 from moving out of that indent in apple 44. Accordingly, no additional driving force is applied to apple 44 and apple 44 comes to rest with the indent such as indent 54 positioned over disc 76. Apple 44 is now supported by the shields 252 and 254 and a point of contact with wall 58 of cup 42.

After a predetermined period of time, rotation of disc 76 is stopped by disengaging the clutch 370. Clutch 412 is next engaged whereby to cause rotation of shaft 152, shaft 170, sleeve 178 and the eccentric Wiggler tip 194. The aligning and coring assemblies 24 are then moved into position over associated cups 42 and lever 218 is moved downwardly whereby to move the tip 194 downwardly toward apple 44. As is best illustrated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings, with one indent found, the apple 44 is supported by cup 42 in a position such that the upper indent 46 (here illustrated a the stem indent but it is to be understood that it could also be the blossom indent) is positioned at a point removed from a vertical line passing through the lower found indent resting over disc 76. The tip 194 is eccentrically positioned with respect to the vertical axis of the mount therefor so that the rounded end 198 describes an orbit or path which is circular when projected on a horizontal plane. In aligning apples having a diameter of from 2% to 4% inches the diameter of tip 194 is chosen to be approximately 0.185 inch and the vertical center axis thereof describes in a horizontal plane a circle having a radius of 0.062 inch.

With the parts having dimensions as described above, it has been found that some portion of the orbit of tip 194 falls within the upper indent, such as indent 46, so that as the tip 194 is lowered and the end 198 contacts the concavely curved indent surface 59 at one point during rotation or orbiting of tip 194. Contact with concavely curved surface combined with the pressure forcing tip 194 downwardly produces a resultant force tending to move the core axis of apple 44 into alignment between the end of tip 194 and the lower found indent. Accordingly, continued lowering of tip 194 serves to straighten or align the core axis of apple 44 between the tip 194 and the uppermost surfaces of shields 252 and 254.

In the event that first contact of end 198 with apple 44 falls on the general outer surface 52 of the apple, a force is also applied tending to move the core axis of apple 44. As may be best seen from FIGURE 5 of the drawings, this force, in all cases, will be applied in a direction tending to move apple 44 in a direction generally toward the point of contact thereof with cup 42. Accordingly, this force will actually be ineffectual to move the apple and instead tip 194 will be forced upwardly against the action of spring 290 (see FIGURE 9, also). This movement of tip 194 into the sleeve 178 permits rotation of sleeve 178 to continue without bruising or cutting the apple. The end 198 of tip 194 will ride upwardly along apple surface 52 until end 198 enters indent 46 and contacts surface 50 thereof. At this time, spring 200 will urge tip 194 downwardly against surface 50 and force will be exerted tending to move the core axis of apple 44 in a direction which enables further entry of tip 194 into indent 46. This serves to align the core axis between tip 194 and the shields 252-254 as has been explained above.

As the aligner shaft 170 approaches the lowermost position, indent aligner unit 22 begins to rise. More specifically, cup beam 130 is slowly raised by rotating shaft 338 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 17. Because of the action of spring 118 (FIG. 4), aligner disc 76 and the associated parts mounted on bracket 70 rise before cup 42 begins to move. This insures that the aligned fruit is supported between disc 76 and tip 194. Alignment of the fruit is now complete, both indents having been found and the core axis moved to a substantially vertical position.

Continued upward movement of bracket 70 and disc 76 pushes tip 194 into sleeve 178 against the action of spring 200 and sleeve 178 is in turn pushed upwardly into the coring tube 234, first against the action of spring 188 and then against lever 218. At this time shaft 217, upon which lever 218 is mounted, is free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2.

After the aligning operation the bracket 70 carrying the aligner disc 76 and cup 42 begin moving downwardly carried by beam 130. This is accomplished by turning shaft 338 clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 16. When the lower end of stem 62 contacts cam 114, downward movement of cup 42 stops. Another apple to be aligned is then fed to cup 42 as bracket 70 and aligner disc 76 approach the lowermost position thereof.

The carriage for aligner assemblies 24 is then returned to such a position that each of the upper indent aligners is in position above the associated cup 42. This movement of the carriage is accomplished by turning shaft 346 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 17. An apple has had one of the indents thereof located by disc 76 and is now in a condition to have the upper indent thereof located and aligned by means of tip 194 and the associated parts. This completes an entire indent finding and core aligning operation.

It will be apparent that while practicing the method of the present invention, as set forth, the opposite stem and blossom indents of fruit are first quickly found. The stem-blossom axis of the fruit is then brought into a predetermined position to orient the fruit.

It will be seen that there has been provided a fruit preparation machine and method which fulfill all of the objects and advantages set forth above. Although a preferred embodiment including certain preferred dimensions thereof have been given for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of orienting a fruit having two indents on the stem axis thereof comprising the steps of rotating the fruit relatively to a first indent finder to bring one of the indents into registry with the first indent finder to find a first indent in the fruit, and thereafter shifting the fruit and a second indent finder laterally of the stern axis with respect to each other while retaining the fruit with the first found indent and the first indent finder in indent found relative position to find the other indent to orient the fruit.

2. The method of orienting fruit having two indents therein comprising the steps of applying to such a fruit forces tending simultaneously to rotate the fruit about axes extending in vertical and horizontal planes relatively to a first indent finder until one indent of the fruit registers with the first indent finder to find a first indent of the fruit, and thereafter moving the fruit relatively to a second indent finder while retaining the first indent finder and the first found indent in indent found relative position to find the other indent to orient the fruit.

3. The method of orienting fruit having two indents therein comprising the steps of placing a fruit upon a disc, rotating and revolving the disc with the fruit thereon simultaneously about a horizontal axis and a vertical axis until one of the indents registers with and engages the disc, stopping the rotation and revolution of the disc, and thereafter moving the fruit through the vertical axis relatively to a indent finder while the disc is stationary and said one of the indents is retained in indent found relation with the disc to locate the second indent and thereby orient the fruit.

4. The method of orienting fruit having two indents disposed at opposite ends of the stern axis thereof comprising the steps of rotating such a fruit relatively to a first indent finder until the indent at one end of the fruit registers with the first indent finder to find a first indent of the fruit, shifting the other end of the fruit relatively to a second indent finder while retaining the fruit with the first indent in registration with the first indent finder to bring the second indent into registration with the second indent finder, and effecting relative movement between the first and second indent finders to substantially align the two indent finders along a predetermined axis to orient the fruit.

5. The method of orienting fruit having two indents therein on the stem axis comprising the steps of locating such a fruit between opposite points, rotating the fruit relatively to one of said points until one of the indents registers therewith to find one of the indents, and effecting relative shifting movement between said points laterally of a certain axis intersecting said one of said points while retaining the first found indent in indent found relation to effect relative movement between the second indent of the fruit and the other of said points to bring said second indent and said other of said points into registry to thereby orient the fruit.

6. The method set forth in claim 5 including the step of further effecting relative shifting movement between said points after both indents are found to align the stem axis of the fruit with said certain axis to orient the fruit.

7. The method of processing fruit having an indent at each end of the stem-blossom axis comprising the steps of rotating such a fruit about diiferent axes until the indent at one end of the fruit is located at a certain point intersected by a predetermined axis to find one indent, stopping rotation of the fruit when said one indent has been found and retaining the fruit with said one indent in indent-found relation with respect to said certain point, and pivoting the fruit about said point until the indent at the other end of the fruit is disposed on said predetermined axis and said stem-blossom axis is substantially co-axial with said predetermined axis to orient the fruit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,572,773 10/1951 Slagle 198-33 2,687,206 8/1954 Carroll 19833 2,863,482 12/1958 Keifer l46238 2,901,087 8/1959 Cox 198-33 2,924,259 2/1960 Magnuson 146238 3,101,833 8/1963 Rodrigues 19833 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD A. SROKA, WILLIAM B. LABORDE,

Examiners. 

1. THE METHOD OF ORIENTING A FRUIT HAVING TWO IDENTS ON THE STEM AXIS THEREOF COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ROTATING THE FRUIT RELATIVELY TO A FIRST IDENT FINDER TO BRING ONE OF THE IDENTS INTO REGISTRY WITH THE FIRST IDENT FINDER TO FIND A FIRST IDENT IN THE FRUIT, AND THEREAFTER SHIFTING THE FRUIT AND A SECOND IDENT FINDER LATERALLY OF THE STEM AXIS WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER WHILE RETAINING THE FRUIT WITH THE FIRST FOUND IDENT AND THE FIRST IDENT FINDER IN IDENT FOUND RELATIVE POSITION TO FIND THE OTHER IDENT TO ORIENT THE FRUIT. 